I had a working mom. I was proud of my mom. She did this work while other stay at home moms made her feel less than in her life. She was an executive secretary for an oil company in Oklahoma City. She gifted with knowing how to dress and how to behave that was appropriate for greeting clients, taking calls, typing on Selectrics at rapid speed, and running errands for her bosses while keeping track of all the salespeople and their orders. How do I know? I watched her, in awe, at work one summer when I was invited to fill in at the front desk as a receptionist while on college break. She taught me how to dress, the rules of business etiquette for greeting people and answering calls of prospective clients. Teaching me what to do and how to do it gave me confidence to grow into the work and enjoy it.
Back then, Mom didn’t know the term, “dress for success”, she just wanted to look nice. At home she made sure every hair was in place and then hair sprayed heavily to keep her do intact! She never walk out the door unless her ironed dress matched her shoes and purse, earrings and necklaces. This was the early 70’s when business and other professionals were expected to dress in suits for the men and dresses for the ladies. I began my teaching career with this dress code! Imagine now, teaching first graders in a dress, panty hose, and dress shoes! Only later, would the dress codes relax.
All this to say—who we proclaimed to be had to match what we did as we represented ourselves in dress and behaviors. Our appearance, words, and look had to match who we said we were and served.
John has a word or two about matching. We say we believe in Jesus; but is our belief matching our behaviors? Do our behaviors more consistently match His as we grow in our relationship with Him? Will others know immediately who we belong to by observing how we think, what we say, and what we do?
1 John 2, The Message
1-2 I write this, dear children, to guide you out of sin. But if anyone does sin, we have a Priest-Friend in the presence of the Father: Jesus Christ, righteous Jesus. When he served as a sacrifice for our sins, he solved the sin problem for good—not only ours, but the whole world’s.
The Only Way to Know We’re in Him
2-3 Here’s how we can be sure that we know God in the right way: Keep his commandments.
4-6 If someone claims, “I know him well!” but doesn’t keep his commandments, he’s obviously a liar. His life doesn’t match his words. But the one who keeps God’s word is the person in whom we see God’s mature love. This is the only way to be sure we’re in God. Anyone who claims to be intimate with God ought to live the same kind of life Jesus lived.
7-8 My dear friends, I’m not writing anything new here. This is the oldest commandment in the book, and you’ve known it from day one. It’s always been implicit in the Message you’ve heard. On the other hand, perhaps it is new, freshly minted as it is in both Christ and you—the darkness fading away and the True Light already blazing!
9-11 Anyone who claims to live in God’s light and hates a brother or sister is still in the dark. It’s the person who loves brother and sister who dwells in God’s light and doesn’t block the light from others. But whoever hates is still in the dark, stumbles around in the dark, doesn’t know which end is up, blinded by the darkness.
Loving the World
12-13 I remind you, my dear children: Your sins are forgiven in Jesus’ name. You veterans were in on the ground floor, and know the One who started all this; you newcomers have won a big victory over the Evil One.
13-14 And a second reminder, dear children: You know the Father from personal experience. You veterans know the One who started it all; and you newcomers—such vitality and strength! God’s word is so steady in you. Your fellowship with God enables you to gain a victory over the Evil One.
15-17 Don’t love the world’s ways. Don’t love the world’s goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.
Antichrists Everywhere You Look
18 Children, time is just about up. You heard that Antichrist is coming. Well, they’re all over the place, antichrists everywhere you look. That’s how we know that we’re close to the end.
19 They left us, but they were never really with us. If they had been, they would have stuck it out with us, loyal to the end. In leaving, they showed their true colors, showed they never did belong.
20-21 But you belong. The Holy One anointed you, and you all know it. I haven’t been writing this to tell you something you don’t know, but to confirm the truth you do know, and to remind you that the truth doesn’t breed lies.
22-23 So who is lying here? It’s the person who denies that Jesus is the Divine Christ, that’s who. This is what makes an antichrist: denying the Father, denying the Son. No one who denies the Son has any part with the Father, but affirming the Son is an embrace of the Father as well.
24-25 Stay with what you heard from the beginning, the original message. Let it sink into your life. If what you heard from the beginning lives deeply in you, you will live deeply in both Son and Father. This is exactly what Christ promised: eternal life, real life!
26-27 I’ve written to warn you about those who are trying to deceive you. But they’re no match for what is embedded deeply within you—Christ’s anointing, no less! You don’t need any of their so-called teaching. Christ’s anointing teaches you the truth on everything you need to know about yourself and him, uncontaminated by a single lie. Live deeply in what you were taught.
Live Deeply in Christ
28 And now, children, stay with Christ. Live deeply in Christ. Then we’ll be ready for him when he appears, ready to receive him with open arms, with no cause for red-faced guilt or lame excuses when he arrives.
29 Once you’re convinced that he is right and righteous, you’ll recognize that all who practice righteousness are God’s true children.
WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?
We are God’s children all because of Jesus’ work of redemption on the cross. John teaches that “once we are convinced that Jesus is Savior and Lord of all that right and righteous”, then we will more readily recognize all who practice what is right as God’s true children.
Our behaviors match who we say we believe. So, who do we believe with all our hearts, minds, and souls? Under pressure, our true faith comes out! In good times do we praise and thank God? In hard, challenging times, do we trust God and still thank and praise Him? Is all we think, say, and do in Jesus Name for His glory?
We are human and we fail but God knows and loves us faithfully. His love never quits, never fails, or runs out for us. God provided His One and Only Son to us as the Way to forgiveness for sins now and later. And not just ours, like John says, but for the whole world! Jesus stands ready as our Advocate/High Priest/Savior as He presents us to God for forgiveness with the assurance that all will be well and set right with God to those who ask and believe! Yes!
Then when “it is well with our souls” we live as redeemed children of God! We grow in the characteristics that Jesus taught with the promised and delivered help of His “live in” Counselor, God’s Holy Spirit. His Holy Spirit lives within us. He guides us to all that is true and right. His Spirit convicts when we are wrong, comforts when life gets hard, consoles us when attacked, challenges and confirms decisions to walk in God’s ways, and supplies us with words to say and pray as we relate to others and to God in Jesus Name! Listen to Him! Only then can our belief in Jesus match our behaviors—so others will know Him, too! Goals.
Paul tells us how to “dress” to match who we believe with our desire to imitate—
“Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.” Romans 13:14
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” Colossians 3:12-15
Lord,
You have provided all we need to follow you, be forgiven by you, with the promise of life eternal. There is no one like you! I believe. I’m listening. I trust you with my life for you are Life! Cleanse my heart, renew my mind, refresh me soul and restore daily the joy of your salvation at work within me so that who I believe matches by behaviors.
In Jesus Name, Amen
Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus) 